Water quality in the Laguna de Bustillos of Chihuahua, Mexico

This paper discusses the water within Laguna de Bustillos, Mexico from a qualitative perspective. The following variables were measured at 18 randomly selected sampling sites: lithium (Li), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), antimony (Sb), selenium (Se), thallium (Ti), vanadium (V), and zinc (Zn). Also measured were pH, total solids, total nitrogen (Nammoniacal and N-organic), temperature, electrical conductivity (EC), and coliforms (total and fecal). A Kruskal-Wallis test was performed for all variables. Of all metal variables, Fe and Mn were present in excessive amounts at all sites reaching values higher than 100 ppm and 1.00 ppm, respectively. Variables with the most undesirable levels were total coliform and fecal coliform that reached values as high as 460*103 NMP/100mL in a sampling point close to an urban city called Cuauhtemoc. These results show the high levels of some contaminates in the Laguna de Bustillos and represent the formal data needed to request help from different regulatory authorities